Act II: John Cougar

John Cougar (1979)
Based on the minor success of "I Need A Lover" overseas, Riva records made sure that it was included on his 1979 follow-up, simply entitled John Cougar. "I Need A Lover" barely cracked the Top-40 (#28) but it gave him enough attention to have the album chart (#64) and eventually record another album. While there is nothing horrid on the album, "I Need A Lover" aside, there's not much that stands out even on multiple listens. Almost every track sounds equally dated; "A Little Night Dancin'" is a nice little pop-wise number, but "Small Paradise" relies on cliché's that never work. There's even a re-recording of "Taxi Dancer" which originally appeared on A Biography and the beefed up production here does nothing for the song making one wonder why he even tried re-recording it. John Cougar is a coherent album that shows the further evolution of a man who in a few short years would be defined as the "Heart of the Heartland" but not before he takes another pop detour.

Nothin' Matters and What If it Did (1980)
This is where John Cougar began to define his voice. Ironically this was the only album of his I never owned on compact disc before the remastered version appeared in 2005. I always dismissed it as a two-hit album (the great "Ain't Even Done with the Night" & the not so great "This Time"). However, while it's arguably one of his weakest efforts, there are some fine moments on it. "Hot Night In A Cold Town" gets things off to a sweltering start with a song that lyrically could be related once again to Springsteen's 70's work, but this time it's a number that doesn't pale in comparison. However, other tracks such as "Don't Misunderstand Me", "Make Me Feel", "Tonight" and "Wherever She May Be" don't age as gracefully as one may hope. The keyboards on "Don't Misunderstand Me" are especially painful to listen to and may want you to gouge your eyes out. However, "Cheap Shot" is eerily relevant to the here and now as we are witnessing the fall of record companies and it's a simplified song that is stupendous if for nothing else than the swagger with which Cougar delivers it. I almost wonder why he doesn't add it to his concerts as an opening song. The 2005 remaster included the bonus track, "Latest Game" which is a leftover track from the American Fool sessions, which ironically is as good as most of the American Fool tracks and better than most of his first three Riva albums. It's a welcome addition to this disc and almost makes this worthy of purchasing. Even though the album is wildly erratic, it set the stage for what eventually break Mellencamp into the mainstream.

American Fool (1982)
In the music world of today, an act like U2 would have been given the ax after their second album. Today's record companies put too much value on the bottom dollar and very little on artistic development. Many artists take their time finding their voice, and it often takes them at least three albums to find their true voice and stride. John Mellencamp's ride to the top was a little longer. His big break through was 1982's American Fool, his sixth album. Even back in the late 70's and early 80's, even though artists may have been afforded two or three chances, six is almost unheard of. It's also a testament to how an artist can truly blossom four or five albums into their career and how we should never write anyone off (unless you're the lead singer of a band called Creed).

After seven years of flirting with success, John Cougar finally hit the big time. At the peak of American Fool's commercial success it was the number one album, "Jack & Diane" was at number one and "Hurts So Good" was in the top ten. The last artist to accomplish this feat before Cougar was John Lennon. Cougar was driven and focused on this affair and producer Don Gehman gave the album a straight ahead rock focus with impressive pop sensibilities. The songs speak for themselves and still sound great today. "Thundering Hearts" makes you heartbeat race led by the pinpoint thundering drums of Kenny Arnoff. The sublime "Weakest Moments" is an insightful flipside to the poppy "Jack & Diane", it's another ode to love but in the last minute, a giant chorus comes in to accentuate the title. Cougar's vocal delivery is stunning and for the first time in his career, could evoke chills and vulnerability. "Close Enough" and "China Girl" are a cliché rockers but the backing band led by guitarist Larry Crane and drummer Kenny Arnoff make the song ascend to heights studio musicians could never muster. For years I focused on the three hit singles on this album ( the aforementioned two hits and the #19 "Hand To Hold On To") and mostly ignored the rest of the album and it's far better than I ever remembered, this isn't a great album but it's a very undervalued album. The bonus track on the remaster, "American Fool" is a very welcomed addition as it was left off the original release by the record company. It actually fleshes the album out and gives it more fitting final track. Beginning with this album and for the next dozen years John Cougar Mellencamp would be at the zenith of his recording career.